


You're Not Invited

by orgaziam



Series: Life in an Alternate Universe (AU Prompts) [5]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Engagement, Fluff, Kid Fic, Kissing, M/M, Sappy, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-15
Updated: 2019-02-15
Packaged: 2019-10-28 20:18:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17794064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orgaziam/pseuds/orgaziam
Summary: Liam has the best plans for Valentine's day, except Zayn's not invited.His boyfriend, mind you.





	You're Not Invited

**Author's Note:**

> This is a little bit late, as Valentine's Day is almost over, but I was feeling inspired and decided to write this and share it. It's un-beta'd since it only took about an hour to write, but I hope you all enjoy it.

"Are you ready?" he hears Liam call from somewhere near the kitchen. Zayn rolls his eyes and continues to fix up his daughter's hair, his fingers combing through the onyx curly locks that resemble his own so well, before twirling them into a braid with the practiced ease of someone who grew up with three sisters.

He makes a mental note to make sure she gets a haircut soon. As beautiful as her long locks are, they only get in the way of her playtime and make it harder to keep up with, always tangling together into huge knots that only Liam's patience and skilled fingers can brush out. He learned his lesson after the last time he tried to cut her hair himself, which led to tears in big brown eyes at the sight of the uneven layers that stretched from her chin to her waist. He had to rush her to the salon immediately, and the bob she was stuck with for the next month was entirely too inconvenient when it came to putting her hair in a ponytail during recess.

With one last look at his daughter, all giggles and hyper this morning at getting to spend the day with Liam, he smiles softly and grabs her hand to lead her down the hall of their home.

"You're late," he hears Liam say, and he looks up to see Liam standing there waiting, pointing jokingly at the watch on his wrist and pouting down at Mara. 

"A queen is never late, everyone else is just simply early," Zayn says, quoting Mara's recently favorite movie, and is met with another laugh from Mara and a soft smile from Liam.

Liam looks more handsome than Zayn's ever seen, wearing a dark blue dress shirt tucked under a black blazer and some nice jeans. There's a large bouquet of flowers nestled into the crook of one arm and a box of heart-shaped chocolates being held out to Mara, who takes them swiftly from his grasp and giggles. She takes the bouquet of flowers and holds it up to her nose, uttering a soft, "Thank you, Liam," cheeks tinted pink at the gesture. The spark of heat that runs through Zayn's heart is enough to mask his ridiculous jealousy at Liam taking his daughter out on a date instead of him for Valentine's day.

"Are you sure you don't want me to come along, too?" he asks, aiming to sound nonchalant but coming off too hopeful for his liking. Liam gives him a soft smile before he leans in to kiss the petulant pout off of Zayn's lips.

"I promise I have something planned for you later, but for now I think we'll be okay on our own," Liam tells him softly. "Is that still alright with you?"

He's quick to nod because he knows what Liam is hinting at. He's always been overprotective of his daughter, something Liam was thankfully quick to understand before they dove too deep into their relationship. He was always reluctant to bring up his daughter when he was dating, long after his ex-girlfriend showed up at his door one day, a baby in her arms and a request to never see him again. But he realized he didn't want to feel ashamed of the girl he had raised on his own, the one who gave him a reason to feel alive again. And he's never trusted someone more than he has Liam, ever since the brown-eyed boy showed up in his life and gave him and his daughter nothing but love and respect. Now that they've been dating for well over a year, it's not unusual for Mara to spend some quality time with Liam, either, but Zayn can't help but feel a little left out at not getting to spend Valentine's day with the two people he loves most, as ridiculous as that sounds.

But he knows how much this means to Liam, to get to spend quality time with Mara and teach her what it's like to be treated well in a relationship. To take her out on a proper date and show her what a true gentleman is like and how she deserves to be treated by someone. And he can't help but feel overwhelmed at this incredible man who's come into his life and shown him nothing but love and joy, and then proceeded to extend that to his daughter as well. Enough to be so thoughtful as to take her on a date and show her a true Valentine's day.

"Of course," he says, giving Liam a reassuring smile and a quick peck to his cheek. He leans down to do the same to Mara, who is still preoccupied with the gorgeous bouquet of daisies and tulips.

"I'll make sure to have her back before curfew, Mr. Malik," Liam promises, bowing slightly for the effect. He laughs at his own words when Mara giggles, before he reaches out to take Mara's hand and lead her to the door.

"Bye baba! Don't eat all the chocolates before dinner! You don't want to get a sugar rush," the six-year old says, referring to the box of chocolates Liam gave her earlier that she set on the coffee table in the living room. She's still holding the ridiculously large bouquet, waving it in the air as a goodbye as she's whisked away by a just-as-excited Liam.

Her first date already, Zayn thinks. They really do grow up so fast.

 

 

 

 

{~}

 

 

 

 

"Mara? Can I ask you something?" Liam asks, brushing the hair out of the six-year old's face as she shovels spoonfuls of her ice cream into her mouth. He's told her countless times to slow down, not wanting her to have an upset stomach or a brain freeze, but he's just as guilty as Zayn when it comes to spoiling her. 

They've already enjoyed their dinner, complete with Liam pulling out her chair and ordering them both something off of the kid's menu (he's too nervous to have a real appetite), and are now at a local ice cream shop they frequent quite often. The shop is relatively quiet which is a little surprising, especially considering it's Valentine's day, but Liam doesn't mind because it means they get an entire booth to themselves.

"Of course, Liam," she says, stretching out the syllables so it sounds more like "Lee-yum," something she definitely picked up from her baba.

"You know how important you and your baba are to me, right?" he asks, leaning forward to wipe some whipped cream from her sundae off of her face with a napkin.

Mara snorts, brushing her hair out of her face before going back to her ice cream sundae-- or what's left of it, that is, "Of course," she says, as if there's no point in even having this conversation.

Liam can't help but snort at her blatancies, though his nerves don't calm at all, suddenly feeling more aware of the weight in the breast pocket of his blazer.

He debates on how to ask his question, before finally settling on, "How would you feel if you had another baba?" he asks, unsure how else to phrase the question.

Mara tilts her head at him, clearly questioning the nature of the question, "Another baba? Why would I want that?" she asks. Liam's heart sinks in his chest.

"Well, I just thought that maybe--"

"You and baba are all I need. I don't want another," she says firmly, and as though that's the end of the conversation, she huffs and goes back to her ice cream.

Liam looks at her in surprise, clearly not expecting that to be where Mara was headed with the conversation. He tries to figure out how to frame his next question, unsure of how to get his point across to a six-year old, but decides Mara's already awfully smart for her age and just bites the bullet.

"Mara, I want to marry your father," he says, successfully catching Mara's attention. She drops her spoon into the bowl and pushes the sundae off to the side, leaning forward in her seat in interest. Liam decides to continue, "But before I ask him to marry me, I want you to be okay with it, too."

He sees a small frown appear on her lips, and he tries to push away any negative thoughts at how she might feel about his words. "What is it?" he asks, trying his best not to let his nerves hold weight in his tone. "Do you not want that?"

"All my friends from school have parents who are married," is what she says instead. The words catch Liam slightly off guard, but he nods to let her continue, always careful to let her express herself and speak her mind. She takes her time speaking, her brows furrowed slightly in concentration as she works her way around what words she wants to use. She's just like her father in every way, he swears.

"I want baba to be married to you," she says firmly. "You make him happy."

She leans back in her seat, giving Liam a soft smile. He breathes in relief, smiling back at the beautiful girl he grew to love just as much as her kind, generous, stunning father. "Then I have one last thing to complete our date," he declares, blinking back the tears that have started forming in his eyes. He rarely gets emotional, but he's so overwhelmed with the feelings of love and happiness that he's received from the Malik's since he first met them just a year before.

"What is it?" Mara asks curiously, slightly upset that her day with Liam is coming to an end, though she's excited to go back home to her Baba and tell him about all the exciting things that happened today.

Liam smiles and reaches carefully into the pocket of his blazer, feeling for the smaller of the two velvet boxes, before he's leaning over the table with the box grasped firmly in his hand. He opens it to reveal a small gold ring with small diamonds all around the band, and is met with a quiet gasp. "It's beautiful," Mara says, leaning forward to look at it more clearly, her brown eyes wide in awe.

"It's for you," Liam tells her, taking it from the box and grasping her left hand, before sliding it delicately onto her ring finger. She looks at it in awe, unable to tear her eyes away from her hand even after Liam has let go of it. He can see tears welling up in her brown eyes and he leans forward to wipe them away before they fall. "A promise that I will always be here for you and your baba."

"I didn't get you anything, though," she says, frowning slightly at her finger before looking worriedly up at Liam. Liam chuckles, leaning forward to press a kiss to her forehead.

"You're wrong, love. You and your Baba have given me everything I could ever want and need. I couldn't ask for anything more."

 

 

 

{~}

 

 

 

When they come home, Liam finds Zayn fast asleep on the couch, remote in one hand and couch pillow in the other. Mara giggles and jumps on the couch beside her father, shaking his frame none too gently to wake him up before Liam can hold her back.

"Wake up, baba! We're home! Wake up!"

Zayn just groans before wrapping his arms around the small figure to his right, not bothering to open his eyes. He spent the entire day without Liam and Mara cleaning any inch of the house he could reach, and the second he sat down on the couch he fell fast asleep. He digs his nose into her neck but she giggles and tries to push him away, but Zayn keeps her firmly in his arms. Liam watches on with a soft smile before sitting on the coffee table in front of the couch.

After a couple minutes, Mara finally stops struggling to get out of Zayn's grasp and relaxes in her father's arms. Zayn finally cracks an eye open, blindly reaching an arm out to Liam and gesturing for him to join them in their cuddle on the couch, to which he does. He sits on Zayn's opposite side, his chest pressed to Zayn's back, and extending his arms to wrap around both Zayn and Mara.

"How was the date that I wasn't invite to?" Zayn asks.

Liam snorts, but before he can say anything, Mara is responding for him.

"Baba! Look what Liam got me!" She says. She waves her hand in his face and Zayn stares at it in confusion, before his eyes focus on the gold band wrapped around her delicate finger. He gasps, gently grasping her palm in his hand and turning it to look at the piece of jewelry, "Liam, what is this? What--?!"

"It's a Valentine's day gift," Liam says defensively, though a small smile finds its way to his lips at Zayn's reaction.

"You said you were just taking her on a date. You didn't mention--, Liam, this is expensive," Zayn says, still staring widely at the piece of metal.

Liam can sense the other man's nerves rising, so he places a soft kiss to the back of Zayn's neck and waits until the other man calms a little. When he senses that Zayn has relaxed a bit, he carefully unwinds his arms from around the pair and says, "I thought it was only fair that she had one to match her baba." 

"I, what--?" Zayn says, turning his gaze away from his daughter's hand and towards where Liam has moved. He makes a choked noise at the sight of Liam kneeling before the pair on the couch, fingers wrapped carefully around a black velvet box laid open to display a ring that looks just like the one on his daughter's finger. His heart rate speeds up and he feels tears well in his eyes. He distinctly hears his daughter laughing softly, and he realizes she'd known this was coming.

"Zayn, I love you so much. Words cannot describe how happy I am to have you and your daughter in my life, and I cannot imagine living my life without you two. Will you please marry me?"

It takes a moment for it to dawn on Zayn that this is actually happening, but he quickly finds himself nodding furiously, wiping at the tears now flowing freely down his face with one hand as the other reaches to pull Liam into a fierce kiss, unable to say anything with how choked up he feels. When he finally comes to, he finds himself saying 'Yes' repeatedly, as if it's the only word he's ever known.

Liam smiles softly between kisses, reaching forward for Zayn's left hand and placing the ring on his finger just as he did Mara's an hour ago. He kisses the back of Zayn's hand before wrapping his arms around Zayn in a hug, incapable of voicing his joy at getting to spend the rest of his life with the two people he considers his family now.

"So I get two baba's now?" Mara asks happily, and Zayn pulls back from Liam with a loud laugh before he pulls her into the hug, the three of them full of nothing but happiness and joy.

 

 

{~}

 

 

For the rest of my life, for the rest of your's, for the rest of our's.

 

 

{~}

**Author's Note:**

> As always, comments & kudos are very much appreciated. I'm always taking prompts so please share any if you have any.
> 
>  
> 
> (PS. I know what you’re thinking. Where are the updates to my other fics? Truth is, I just haven’t been feeling inspired at all lately to add to them. I have most of them written but not enough to be a full chapter, and I just can’t bring myself to add to them. I’m hoping that by writing new and fresh content, like doing new prompts, it will help me gain inspiration to go back to them and complete them. I’ll never abandon a fic, but for now I don’t want to just half-ass something and throw it out there.)


End file.
